The status of Foshan town in the Ming and Qing dynasties is much more prominent than that of later generations, that is, it is called the four major towns with Jingdezhen, etc., and the famous cities such as Yangzhou and Suzhou are put together to form the four major gatherings, that is, it is an important town for handicraft production, or a commercial city rich in all things, and later generations will take Foshan and Guangzhou together at this time as the two major economic centers of Lingnan. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

In recent years, with the rapid development of Xin'an County's integration into the international market, Foshan has been compared with Foshan in terms of goods gathering, but Foshan still ranks third in Guangdong, and in terms of industrial production, Foshan relies on huge handicraft workshops and is still the first in Lingnan.

There are a large number of handicraft workshops in Foshan, and the scale is also quite large, with hundreds of large factories employing hundreds of people, mainly concentrated in the ceramics industry, silk manufacturing industry and Foshan's business card iron smelting industry.

Especially in the iron smelting industry, in this era, Foshan is the undisputed first in China, there is no Ming Dynasty, she is the first, with the Ming Dynasty, he is still the first.

This prosperous commercial city at this time had a population size comparable to that of Guangzhou, with a population of 400,000.

The reason why such a small city can develop so big is that in addition to the geographical location itself, the water and land transportation is extremely convenient, and the most important thing is that its luck is too good. Many cities in Guangdong suffered from war in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and Foshan developed because of this.

In that year, Guangzhou was slaughtered by the Qing army many times, many craftsmen in the city ran to Foshan, and later Shang Kexi in the three feudatories went to Guangdong, slaughtered the city of Guangzhou, and his subordinates saw the prosperity of Foshan and wanted to loot, but was stopped by Shang Kexi, he said that the wealth of Foshan was for his use.

As a result of the war, almost all of Guangzhou's handicraft industries were moved to Foshan, and Foshan was fortunate to be preserved and developed in the war.

Throughout the Qing Dynasty, Foshan's position in the handicraft industry has always been firmly ahead of Guangzhou.

In particular, the iron smelting industry, feeding the population of Foshan seventy percent, the formation of hundreds of large iron workshops, Foshan iron pot was even sold to Sichuan, not to mention Southeast Asia, when the foreigners' merchant ship was the whole ship of imported Foshan iron pot, although there are fewer in recent years, but the market in Vietnam, is still occupied by Foshan iron pot.

Every year, tens of thousands of tons of pig iron are used for casting iron pots.

The influence of the Ming Dynasty on Foshan is also mainly concentrated in the iron smelting industry, and the most direct is to raise more than 50 iron workshops.

These iron workshops promised to cast cannons for the Ming Dynasty, but the arsenal sent a technical team to bring them new casting techniques, and also taught their apprentices to use modern machines, at least these workshops now have workers who can use boring machines.

These workshops that promised to cooperate with the government were not the largest workshops back then, and the largest workshops back then were mainly the workshops of some big families, they all belonged to medium-sized workshops, not too big, and they didn't want to risk making cannons for the rebellious Ming Dynasty, and they were not small, too small for the government to look down on.

As a result, these 57 medium-sized workshops found an opportunity, not only did they upgrade their technology, but they also really built a lot of guns, and they caught up with the good time.

The first business was the order placed by the Ming Dynasty at that time, but the orders after it were far from being more than the Ming Dynasty, the Taiping Army was the second big business, they were lifted by the Ming Dynasty after the blockade of Tianjing, they did not want money to place a large order, a total of more than 20,000 cannons, the Taiping Army's business has just been completed, the Japanese placed more than 10,000 orders, I heard that Japan rebelled, the government borrowed the money of the Ming Dynasty to buy artillery to suppress it.

In just three or five years, they have built more than 30,000 cannons, and the technology has long been proficient, each family has cast more than 500 cannons on average, and the most have been bought and sold for hundreds of thousands, and the small ones have also received 20,000 or 30,000 yuan, and the profits alone have exceeded 10,000 yuan.

As soon as there is more money, the ambition is great, in the past they belonged to the most embarrassing position in the iron industry, above are those big families that were very big in the Ming Dynasty, they couldn't speak at all, but those people pushed the orders of the government, and even found various excuses to press on their heads, but the result made them bigger, and now they have turned over, just like being a big man.

And they don't want to just make artillery, everyone knows that this business can't last long, and now that the war is over, they don't have much business. Therefore, the old line can not be lost, the iron pot is still cast, the iron bell is still cast, and the farm tool is still cast.

Not only is no one willing to lose the old bank, but they also have to intervene in the new industry, those big family workshops, such as Li Chenhuo, the three giants who made cannons for the Qing army in the Qing Dynasty, they pushed the orders of the government at that time, but they didn't expect the government to talk well, and they dropped it when they pushed it, and then they knew that this was a good thing, the Ming government gave money in time, never deducted, the most critical Ming army won, Guangdong is stable and stable in the Ming Dynasty, they regretted it at this time, but it was too late, and they wanted to make cannons for the government, not to mention the government to agree or not, The 57 iron workshops first united to resist them, resulting in the fact that the two of them were now in a situation of fire and water, fighting to the death in the Foshan Iron Shop.

57 are now more and more closely united, they put forward the first to form a new iron line, called the cannon shop, which means that they are the cannon-making guild, but the Chinese guild has been spontaneous since ancient times, there is no hard support from the government, the rules and the like are all conscious, and the joining and withdrawing are also more casual, unlike the Western guilds, which often have the authorization of the parliament, they have the right to manage the industry, and the practitioners and production categories are very strict with each other, and no one can violate them.

Recently, they fell in love with the machines jointly made by Li Chenhuo and the others, mainly the rolling machine for the tea factory and the silk reeling car of the silk reeling factory, which are relatively simple machines, and they found that they can also do it.

Moreover, they were government-sponsored workshops, and the technicians of the arsenal remained in their workshops to help, and they asked these young but skilled masters to help, and soon imitated machines with the same specifications and even better quality, and brought them to the market to compete.

Most of the technicians in these arsenals were the first generation of apprentices recruited by Zhu Jinglun that year, and after a few years, they have all grown into masters, and everyone can take apprentices.

These people are all treasures to the iron workshop of the artillery shop, although their wages are paid by the arsenal, but the workshop is not only served with good food and drink, but also as respectful as a master, in the workshop, their words are often as useful as the workshop owner.

Those workshops, in the past, were basically yield masters, with a few sons or a few apprentices, recruiting some handymen, so the smarter iron workshops have seen that the government can't always let these technicians stay in their workshops to help, and they haven't left yet, mainly because they are also responsible for supervising the quality of the cannons in the workshop, whether it is for the army, or for the Taiping Army or even the Japanese, the government must strictly control it, they say that they can't let inferior products go abroad and ruin the reputation of Daming goods.

They knew that not only the iron workshops, but also those silk reeling factories, the government sent people to inspect them, but unlike them, the government did not send people to live in the workshops, let alone send people to help with the work.

So once these people are gone, the iron workshop really feels a pity, there are these people, even if there are only one or two, you can teach him to use the machine tool, once gone, although they have also learned to use the machine, but they always feel unsteady in their hearts, in case some things need new machines, they will not use what to do.

So leaving these people in the iron workshop is a way once and for all, so a few years ago, some people valued these technicians, and some people promised to hire these people with high salaries when they made a windfall in making cannons, who knew that they were not tempted at all, and finally asked in a hurry, and they said that they were eating public food, and they were tolerance.

At this time, everyone realized that they could not keep these people, although these people did the same work as them, but they were people in the yamen, and their identities were different. Zhu Jinglun never understood why the technicians in the arsenal were reluctant to go out to start a business, mainly because the people of this era had a dream of becoming an official.

But there is also success left, there is a guy in their line nicknamed Leper Three, he is ugly, and he gave birth to a Peugeot girl, and everyone used to laugh at him and say that the girl was definitely not his own. This guy endured hardships, worked day and night when he was young, so tired and exhausted, and in the end he only left a daughter, and no other heirs.

He thought about it, and after taking a fancy to the technicians of the arsenal, he found that the technicians sent to his house by the government were not married, but fortunately he married his daughter to the young man at that time. The leper head three now said that his family's belongings will be his son-in-law's in the future.

At this time, everyone laughed at the leper again, saying that he had no day and night all his life, and in the end all his belongings became someone else's.

Jokes are jokes, in fact, everyone is envious in their hearts, they are not reluctant to shop, many people say that they want people to come, and the shop is directly divided into half, mainly because everyone does not have a Peugeot girl in their hands.

The leper head three has his son-in-law's helper, but he picks on the son, the things in the workshop are busy with the son-in-law, and he does not allow the son-in-law to resign from the tolerance, everyone then found out that this kid is smart, not to let the son-in-law resign from the tolerance, not to take advantage of the public, but to hang that relationship.

In the past few years, the business of the three leper families has been big, and the business of the three leper families in the artillery shop has done at least half of it, and he is still the easiest one.

The success of the Lai family has given many people ideas.

Zhang Youcai of Zhang Ji Iron Works has his plans.

On Chinese New Year's Eve, he invited the supervisor in the workshop to come to his house and set up a sumptuous banquet, which was the technician sent to his home by the arsenal, and in recent years, he helped him develop a small workshop of more than 30 people to more than 200 people, added dozens of machines, and bought three steam engines.

Zhang Youcai really wanted to keep this young man who was only twenty years old.

When the wine was half-drunk, Zhang Youcai sighed: "Lord Zhang, you don't have an heir yet, right?" ”

Supervisor Zhang Fugui hurriedly said: "The owner doesn't dare to scream, there is no grade in the next, and he doesn't dare to call him an adult." ”

Zhang Fugui is a carpenter family in the countryside of Xin'an County, his father usually farmed, and went to the villages to do carpenter work in his spare time.

Apprentice in the arsenal, he was very serious, his father said that he was fired if he didn't do well, and he went home and broke his leg.

Serious and hard-working, he grew up quickly, he graduated after three years, and he was able to take apprentices after five years. It just so happened that year that he was sent to Zhang Youcai's house to help.

Zhang Youcai said: "Isn't this a matter of time?" You are still so young, you are so capable, sooner or later you will have quality. ”

Zhang Fugui listened comfortably in his heart, his mouth was still polite, he also had such a revenge, the arsenal is the workshop of the government, he has been a manager at all levels in the arsenal, and he is also a grade in the government, not to mention anything else, as long as he is on the upper floor and becomes a master craftsman, he can manage a workshop, but he is the assistant of Jiupin.

He counted this matter, at present, in the factory, there are not many people like him who have qualifications and have not yet become officials, and he thinks he is better than the others.

Zhang Youcai said: "It's a good thing for this young man to focus on his career, but he can't ignore family affairs. Mr. Zhang has to worry about dim sum. ”

Zhang Fugui sighed and didn't speak, picked up the cup and took a sip of stuffy wine, obviously he was also worried about it.

Zhang Youcai hit the railway while it was hot: "I have a niece, and the birth is very symbolic. Although she is a country girl, she has asked someone to see it, whether it is a character or a strong body, she is said to be a child who can give birth. If Mr. Zhang is interested, Xiao Ke can match. ”

Zhang Fugui smiled bitterly: "It's not that the owner doesn't know, he has already married a wife." ”

This is what he is worried about, he has a wife, but he has never been able to conceive.

Zhang Youcai said: "Of course Xiao Ke knows that the little niece is poor and is willing to be a concubine." ”

Of course, Zhang Youcai knew that Zhang Fugui had a wife, and he married a wife before he came to his house, and the errand in the arsenal was generous, and Zhang Fugui married a wife when he was still an apprentice, but it has been five or six years, and he has not given birth to a son and a half daughter.

When Zhang Fugui heard this, he couldn't help but be moved: "I'm afraid that I have wronged my niece." ”

Zhang Fugui no longer cares about the woman's appearance, his wife is very beautiful, she is the daughter of a local businessman, with a solid family background, pampered since childhood, although she also abides by women's morals, but her body is too weak to conceive a child. Zhang Youcai's niece in the countryside, although her family is poor, but the countryman is hard-boned, maybe she is really good at giving birth.

Zhang Youcai had a drama as soon as he heard it: "Then it's decided, I will return to my brother when I go back for the New Year." ”

Zhang Fugui waved his hand: "Don't be in a hurry, don't worry, this matter can be said after the next year." ”

Zhang Youcai said: "That's the reason, then listen to the good news of Ling Zuntang." Oh yes. I have someone else here to send one or two ginseng, Xiao Ke's body is hard, and there is no need for it, tomorrow you go home, just to honor your father and mother. Save your own selling fees. ”

Zhang Fugui symbolically prevaricated, and he accepted it with peace of mind, in the past few years, they have supervised below, and they dare not accept the money during the New Year's holidays, but they have some gifts to honor them, and it is okay to take them.

The New Year passed quickly, and when Zhang Fugui came again, it was already fifteen years later, and his parents allowed him to take a concubine, but he still had to unite the other party's eight characters, and he planned to ask the matchmaker to take a serious look and make sure that he could have children before he could marry.

But Zhang Fugui still can't stay in Zhang Youcai's house, after the New Year, the arsenal recruited them to return to the factory, and they will not be stationed in the future, because a new general office has come, and they want to recruit people back to do big things.

This made Zhang Youcai depressed, his niece's matter, he only made sense of his younger brother after he broke his mouth, but in the end, his daughter went out, but no one stayed, he really lost his wife and soldiers, and his joke was seen by others.

But he has a hard mouth, and no one asks him to admit defeat, saying that it is people who are valued, Zhang Fugui and his family are their own family, this is a good thing to kiss and kiss, he never wanted to learn from the leper and the daughter to keep people.

Zhang Fugui returned to the arsenal, it was really time to run, his opportunity came, and soon the above sent an errand to ask everyone to try to produce the machine, and sent a drawing, Zhang Fugui knew at a glance that this was a silk reeling machine, and he had imitated it in Zhang Youcai's house.

Experienced, so do it quickly, do it well, and was selected at once, Zhang Fugui was soon ordered to set up a silk reeling machine workshop, he served as an assistant, grade nine, in the government for the record.

The advantage of having grade is that Zhang Fugui can make a sedan chair when he goes out in the future.